67. Tlacoyo at El Rincon Chilango

Hey, kids: guess what time is it? It's time to restart that Long March known as 100 Favorite Dishes (INSERT YEAR). YEAH!!!

Hey, don't ding us for listicles: Weekly DataLab studies show ustedes love this gimmick, launched in honor of our coming Best Of issue. Besides, it is rather fun to do this for us Forkers--an opportunity to highlight dishes from restaurants we'll never fully review, or secrets from old standbys. Anyhoo, let the march begin...

The problem with El Rincón Chilango is that it's around the corner from my office, so I'm there a lot, spending my hard-earned paycheck on every possible variation of Mexico City street food, from picaditas to tacos sudados. While I normally order huitlacoche or squash blossom quesadillas, lately the tlacoyos have been making their way onto my plate.

So what is a tlacoyo, anyway? It's a long, stuffed masa object, kind of like a pupusa but elongated. Like a tortilla, the masa is just slaked corn and water, no lard. Tlacoyos are usually stuffed with beans, though the best one at El Rincon Chilango is stuffed with fava beans ("habas"). It's then cooked on the griddle like a tortilla, and topped with that addictive tomatillo salsa and, upon request, slices of grilled cactus paddle.

One's a light meal; two's a huge meal. But they're a great way to eat vegetarian, Mexican style.